Conor Murray is an injury absentee from Ireland‘s 2018 Autumn Internationals squad due to a neck injury that has kept him sidelined for four months or so. His last match was the final Ireland Summer Tour match against Australia.

A huge loss, Murray played a pivotal role in the defeat of New Zealand at Soldier Field in 2016, and his absence in the rematch on November 17th will be felt.

Huge Loss: Murray is absent from the squad due to a neck injury (Getty Images)

In other news, there are three uncapped players in the squad in the form of Ross Byrne, Will Addison and Murray’s Munster teammate Sam Arnold.

Joe Schmidt said; “The upcoming Guinness Series offers an exciting opportunity for the squad but will also be very challenging. We are certainly looking forward to getting back to a packed Aviva Stadium with the fantastic support that we get there.”

“As always there have been a number of close calls in selection, meaning that some very good players have missed out in this particular window,”